Krafft's Anomaly Notes

Chapter 405 Technological Singularity

Coop spent what could be called a wonderful two weeks. Everything seemed to have returned to the beginning. There were no endless mundane affairs to bother him, no frowning warden to be seen, and only the fireplace, books, and rare tranquility to keep him company.

There was nothing to worry about regarding the medical work. After simply handing over the task of changing the patients' dressings, Kraft moved half of the laboratory to a remote corner at the very edge of the basin.

It was a building far from water sources and people, part of the manor yet detached from it, its main body hidden by the mountain valley, and difficult to notice from a distance without prompting.

It was probably originally an abandoned barn. The high foundation and the use of brick and stone materials preserved the structure well, which greatly accelerated the restoration process, but it was only recently put into use.

The burning left large areas of blackish-gray scorched earth around the site. No crops were replanted, but fences had already been erected, with transplanted hawthorns and wild berries used to fill the gaps between the wooden stakes.

The late autumn rains stripped away the scorched edges of the leaves, exposing the bare, thorny, brownish-black branches. Sour red berries dripped like drops of blood, decaying and rotting.

The thorny courtyard shuts out all visitors. Of course, no normal person would want to visit anyway.

His visit wasn't for his own sake, but because the anticipated accident had finally happened.

Despite cleaning as much as possible each time the bandage was changed, the infection still occurred as expected on the seventh day after the operation.

The cause is unknown. It may have been that the hasty suturing introduced the pathogen, or that the extensive debridement and dressing changes were inevitably prone to oversights. In any case, the result was the same.

One morning during rounds, the old priest suddenly complained of unusual swelling and pain in the wound on his arm. The redness and suppuration revealed when the bandage was removed extinguished any remaining hope, followed by chills and a sudden rise in body temperature.

It seems that the Heavenly Father has many things to attend to, and cannot focus his attention on the same person for long.

Having survived the trauma and blood loss, a second test awaits him. This struggle is internal, not external, and its danger may not be less than that of an intangible entanglement.

He had seen this situation many times. It wasn't that no one had successfully escaped the clutches of the disease, but most of them were young and strong sailors and workers who had ample "vitality" reserves to sustain their efforts.

For an elderly person who had recently experienced severe blood loss, the chances of survival were close to zero.

Kup's cleanup efforts were in vain, and he sent Yvonne to the lab to report the news.

Less than two hours later, the latter returned with a look of utter disbelief, relaying a brief message:

Come here, get your medicine.

Nothing could be more reassuring than this. As he set off for his destination, his feelings were no less than those of a saint receiving a divine oracle to receive his destined mission.

However, once you get to the door and open that damp, cold iron lock, you can't help but feel uneasy.

The courtyard was not as desolate as it appeared from the outside. In addition to the re-emerging weeds, there were some things that were clearly out of place in the environment growing in the scorched earth.

Layers of light-colored concentric rings radiate outwards from the building, resembling a large target, with the outermost ring less than twenty steps from the main entrance.

He stopped at the edge of the circle, crouched down to examine it closely, and discovered that it was a dense and uniform white dot scattered on the peat ground with obvious color differences.

Looking even lower, you'll see the tiny stems supporting the white spots. It's one of the most common fungi in the area, known as the wax cap fungus, named for its glossy, oily surface. It's often seen after autumn rains and can tolerate low temperatures.

However, *Hemiberlesia lataniae* grows more in undisturbed forests and grasslands, and composting and turning the soil will actually make it disappear, not to mention growing in ash.

Unpleasant memories flooded back; he vaguely remembered that this place wasn't far from Westminster. After briefly weighing the pros and cons, he struggled to overcome his unease and took his first step into the mushroom circle. Since Yvonne hadn't said much, it should prove that things were under control and there was no need to panic.

After navigating several "target rings," his experience with mushrooms led him to discover the source of the color difference.

These circles are clearly not products of the same time. The outer circle is mostly composed of newly formed fungal caps, which are sparse but brightly colored like solidified fat and still retain translucent mucus.

The closer you get to the inner circle, the easier it is to see the mature canopy, which gradually opens up and flattens, the color becomes lighter and the reflectivity decreases, and it has a standard pinkish-white waxy texture.

Further in, the number of aging strains with a grayish-white tinge begins to increase. Their cap edges dry up, crack, and collapse, losing their waxy luster. Some have even softened and collapsed, merging into the soil.

There was no obvious putrid smell, only a gentle aroma of fruit and earthy scent.

Their growth is as if propelled by some unseen wave, spreading outwards in several batches.

Just as he was wondering about the origin of the mushroom waves, something suddenly "leaped out" from the building in front of him.

It was a feeling that needed no explanation, like witnessing a giant whale crashing into the water while sailing. You didn't need to see it with your own eyes to feel the oppressive force of its sheer size from the waves crashing against the bulkhead.

The surfacing behemoth did not return empty-handed. Something brought back from "underwater" was crushed the instant it crossed the plane, its desperate remnants turning into a silent shriek that swept across the empty, scorched earth without disturbing a single blade of grass.

White spots emerged from the soil at a visible speed, and the mushroom ring took another step towards the fence.

Cooper pulled his neck into his collar and hurried inside; the autumn chill was still too biting.

However, there was no fireplace lit inside. Kraft stood in front of the fully assembled equipment, dressed in outdoor clothes, as if he had just returned from a hike.

"Perfect, we have enough ingredients, let's make it right away."

The petri dishes on the shelf were piled up like a mountain, and some were placed directly on the table.

The lush green color filled every inch of the vessel, leaving no gaps, like thriving moss, but clearly much denser, with a fuzzy surface.

The horror of realizing what it was was even greater than that of the mushroom rings outside.

The laboratory has become a field of mold, and this is undoubtedly a bountiful harvest.

“Don’t be surprised. Thanks to some technological improvements brought about by a shift in thinking, the screening and cultivation of strains have been greatly accelerated.” Kraft covered his mask tightly and lifted a special glass dish like a winemaker admiring a masterpiece.

Instead of bluish mold spots, it was covered with bright yellow fungal spots. Only in a few circular areas did the yellow seem to encounter some kind of natural enemy and avoid it.

"The extract showed positive results in the antibacterial loop test, so the sample is correct, but it's still not quite right."

Following his gaze to the corner, there was a cage of rabbits, two of which were no longer moving, and the rest were in poor condition.

"The hurdle of injectable purity cannot be overcome by magic or miracles, but... injections are not always necessary; topical application is better than nothing."

"Now, let's get started."

(End of this chapter)